After at least a hand’s worth of projects and decades of music, Jack White managed to surprise fans first by quietly including his new record with sales at his label’s store, and then doubly so when that same record turned out to be his most hungry release in years. Playing to a lot of his vintage charms and excitement without feeling like a pandering throwback, this is White at his most creatively stirring and pointed melodically. Slotting perfectly in his Icky Thump and Blunderbuss tones, “Old Scratch Blues” is White as his most primal and riff-heavy, adding those layers of keys and eerie harmonies to create an unforgettable melody for the ages. It’s tangible how pissed and frustrated White is on “That’s How I’m Feeling,” but he never misses a chance to add another punchy or sassy hook, or throw in some off-kilter sonic choice, particularly that blown-out phone sound. Between more late-era White Stripes and his country timbres, “It’s Rough on Rats” is a razor-sharp cut from White, bursting with fiery, kinetic energy, unbridled solos and a drenched fury that cuts through the noise this deep in his discography. Keeping that momentum and creative fun going, White is palpably having fun on “Archbishop Harold Holmes” as he appears to lampoon the commodification of religion, and how it can take over towns through salesmanship, while that guitar grinds and kicks at every corner.
While not as finessed as some of their previous work, Confidence Man go for an earthshaking festival anthem on “So What.” Mixing Daft Punk and LMFAO dance punch, the track plays to a party easily, and makes you want to cut loose. For all of its more derivative shortcomings, Janet Planet does deliver a fun and appropriately blown-out vocal that hits with all the attitude the track needs. While it does offer the band some broad appeal for radio play, the true power of this anthem is evident hearing it at their live show, where it whips you up into a frenzy, like it did this past weekend at Osheaga. Though it will be nice to see the band play with more fleshed out dance tracks soon, this burst of loud energy doesn’t go amiss in a discography that spans decades of genre influence.
Leave it to Beachwood Sparks to merge country aesthetics with galactic timbres. While some tracks feel more singular than others, it’s cool to see a band carving out an indie folk pop niche that few are even exploring. The line between synth heaven and rustic charm is impossible to find on “Torn in Two,” as the group creates a constantly evolving sonic playground to a show a sense of comfort and playfulness, despite its deep sadness. The more upbeat swing of “Gem” lets its romantic notions shine brightly, and gives every slowly blooming roar and synth a powerful burning hope that grows with the song. The band shines in the compact and dense production of “Dolphine Dance,” growling in the hi and lo-fi bliss of their spacey twang. “Wild Swans” almost feels ripped from a different record in its cool breeze synths, airy vocals, and guitars that are overflowing with sunny flavour, for a finale that blows the whole record out of the water.
Following what we can only hope is a hiatus for Gurr, and some musical recuperation, Andreya Casablanca pushes the edges of her sound on “Trapped in Space.” More experimental than her work in Gurr, Casablanca’s latest single blends her momentous rock sensibilities with more playful and harsh tones. Describing a kind of liminal space in personal relationships where you have all the room in the world but can’t do a thing with it. The glossier verses serve this fake sense of freedom, with Casablanca even seeming to do mocking cutesy noises. The mask comes off in the grimy and deranged choruses, with every shriek reflecting her fractured sense of romance and self. The infectious solo and ramping of the ferocity keep the song exciting and fun, with its almost-too-short runtime leaving you wanting more for when her album, and small Canadian visit this fall, finally come around.
Though it wasn’t a movie as some had hoped, David Lynch clearly put in the work to flesh out his latest album into something one-of-a-kind. In fact, with a lot of moody, airy concoctions ripped right out of a dream, and for that matter, the world of “Twin Peaks,” Lynch and Chrystabell make a lush and cinematic record. “She Knew” plays to the waves of synths frequent Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti would wash over his works, with Chrystabell adding the more unpredictable element of swerving and jittering vocals to the mix to keep you on edge as much as soothe you. Alternatively, “The Sky Falls” takes that same floating feeling and pulls you like ghosts from the ether, always preventing you from feeling grounded, while dying to pull you further into its mists. “The Answers to the Questions” plays on Lynch’s more twangy colours over the years, with Chrystabell’s vocals playing like a story of a long-lost Western hero, still wandering. As a bite-sized summary of the whole record, “Sublime Eternal Love” finds Chrystabell drifting away in the cold space of Lynch’s synths, trying to pull us towards her but simply mesmerizing us in the process.
